


infinite

by klari19



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Overcoming fears
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-09
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-09-15 22:04:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9259397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klari19/pseuds/klari19
Summary: And Keith knew why Lance sounded so worried, why the sudden tension in his hand around Keith’s spoke of his hesitancy to agree with his silent request. He was worried about Keith. Not even about himself, or the lateness of the time, or the cold of the night—only about Keith.“We… I have to do this,” Keith whispered, yanking on Lance’s hand once more and beginning to walk towards the glass doors.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tomachan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tomachan/gifts).



> Toma,  
> ur like. a beacon of light in the darkest of nights, or in an endless ocean  
> ur also like. that feeling u get when things have been going wrong for a long time, and then something good happens. even if it's rly smol  
> ur like a smile too--but one that like, u didnt see it coming and u kinda dont know why its there, but its nice and heartwarming
> 
> Toma,  
> thank you very much. from the bottom of my heart  
> i hope you enjoy this, even if it's very short  
> may you have the greatest year. may you get all those things you've been waiting for. all the rest and happiness and health and good food you deserve  
> keep being amazing

“Keith—for the love of _God!_ I’m going to _die!_ ”

“Oh, come on, Lance. Don’t be such a drama queen. The worse that could happen is that you land on your behind.”

“ _But what if I hit my head?!_ ” Lance screeched. “Though if I hurt my butt it might be even worse…” he said then, lower, almost as if talking to himself.

Keith sighed deeply, closing his eyes as he kept himself on the move, half-dragging Lance behind him as he went forward next to the other people around them. “I didn’t come all the way to Rockefeller Center on my holiday just to drag a whining Lance behind m—”

Suddenly, there was a high-pitched shout just behind him, and a forceful yank to his hand gave Keith further indication that Lance had lost his balance and was about to fall on the ice. Swiftly, Keith turned around on his heel and steadied Lance with his hand still in his, and his other flying to his waist. Keith felt the pressure of gravity pulling him down for a moment, Lance still flailing between his strong grip, and then he had stabilized both their postures again.

When he looked up at Lance he intended to glare at him, maybe reprimand him a little for the exaggerated show he’d made—but he found himself unable to do that.

When Keith looked up at Lance, he found a gorgeous smile, equal parts apologetic and elated, splitting Lance’s lips.

And Keith couldn’t help but look away, blinded by that beautiful smile and the raw happiness which shone from it.

“My savior,” said Lance then, sliding his fingers over Keith’s cheek and making him gaze into his eyes once more. “Thanks.”

Keith chuckled gently at that, shaking his head and little and pressing one hand of his own over Lance’s. The boy was so sappy, Keith could barely take it and at the same time he absolutely loved it. “It’s nothing. But I think we should leave…” he trailed off.

“Yeah, it’s late,” said Lance, looking up at the black sky above them.

They made their way towards the exit of the skating rink, passing before the large golden statue and admiring it for one last time. Then, when they’d put their shoes back on and rested away the exertion for a few moments, stepped out onto the street.

“Lance…” Keith murmured then, gazing to the side at the entrance of a particular building.

Lance hummed questioningly, turning around as Keith yanked gently at his hand. Keith pointed a finger towards a sign, knowing that, behind him, Lance was looking at it too.

_‘Top of the Rock – Observation Deck’._

“But Keith…” Lance murmured, unease heavy in his tone.

And Keith knew why Lance sounded so worried, why the sudden tension in his hand around Keith’s spoke of his hesitancy to agree with his silent request. He was worried about Keith. Not even about himself, or the lateness of the time, or the cold of the night—only about Keith.

Keith, however, felt like some things needed to change for the better. And he knew it would be a challenging experience but—

“We… I have to do this,” Keith whispered, yanking on Lance’s hand once more and beginning to walk towards the glass doors.

Lance didn’t question him, and followed suit behind him.

Two tickets and a long elevator ride later, Keith and Lance were standing right behind the doors that would lead them outside and onto the highest point of the building. Keith could feel Lance’s nervousness behind him, the stolen glances and the subconscious tightening of his grip around his hand, which was quite ironical…

“Lance, you’re supposed to be the calm one right now.”

“I know, but I can’t help being worried, you know? It’s just—You took such a sudden decision…”

“Yeah, but it’s going to be okay,” Keith said. “I hope so, at least.”

Lance groaned at his side. “That doesn’t help make the situation less stressful!” He sighed, “You need to be sure about this.”

Keith drew in a deep breath, clenching his free hand into a tight fist as it had begun to shake. His resolve, though, didn’t waver in the least.

“I’m sure about this,” he said, looking straight ahead of him and pushing open the door.

The cold winter air was a shock on their faces; they’d been indoors for some time, and now that they were outside they were reminded of how merciless the temperature continued to be during their short stay in Manhattan. Still, that didn’t keep Keith from striding forward until—

He stopped dead on his tracks a few feet away from the edge.

He could sense Lance coming to a stop by his side, too, and they both gazed at the city lights, bright and blinding in the night, and the Empire State Building a little farther away, too. But the beautiful scenery wasn’t what had stopped them, or what had stopped _Keith_.

Once again, Lance’s fingers around Keith’s tightened their hold. “Want to go inside,” he murmured, rubbing soothing circles over Keith’s thumb.

“N-no,” Keith stuttered, feeling like his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He cleared his throat. “No.”

With one eye closed and the other partly open, one step at a time and keeping Lance’s hand in his to keep himself grounded, Keith made his way towards the edge. Once his free hand was curled around the metal railing, he fully closed his eyes and let go of Lance’s hand to grab the railing with both hands. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Keith opened his eyes and looked down.

The entire building seemed to sway under his eyes, the ground far beneath him seeming to open up to swallow him, and he suddenly felt like all the air had been pushed out of his lungs. Keith gasped, his vision going dark as he fell to a crouch, his body instinctively looking to be closer to the ground.

“Hey, hey. Okay, not good,” Lance whispered by his side, mirroring Keith’s position and slipping a hand around Keith’s waist to pull him tight against his side.

“I’m f—” Keith gasped. “I’m fine, it’s okay.”

Keith knew the retort was at the tip of Lance’s tongue, but thankfully the other kept himself quiet and just nodded. Lance tightened his grip around Keith’s waist a pressed his lips against his temple, humming softly into his skin. That was all Keith needed in that moment.

His shaking hands reached up to grasp the railing once more, and he slowly lifted himself up to a standing position, with his eyes open this time.

Everything swayed beneath and around him like before, but he blinked and fought the impending urge to crouch down again. He thought about his training at the space camp, about everything he’d done to get there, about what it meant to be there, and about his goals. And suddenly—

Suddenly nothing moved anymore. By focusing on an entirely different thing, Keith had completely forgotten about what was happening in reality. He breathed a smile and looked up, letting his gaze wander over the city beneath them.

Not long after, Lance’s arms came to loop themselves around his waist. “You’re not shaking anymore,” Lance whispered into Keith’s ear. “I’m—I’m really proud of you, Keith.”

Keith chuckled. “What would an aspiring astronaut be if he were to remain scared of heights, huh?”

And Lance outright laughed at that, voice booming in the relative peace of the night, body shaking against Keith’s. Keith smiled and pressed himself closer to him just as Lance said, “Yeah… You’re right.” Then he pressed a gentle kiss to Keith’s nape, his warm breath brushing over his skin in a rather pleasant way.

It was good to be like that—in that place, with Lance—Keith thought to himself in awe. The view was absolutely stunning, and he no longer felt that horrendous fear when looking down at the street far down beneath him. He had managed, in just a few moments, to get rid of something that had been bothering him since childhood.

Keith spread his arms out to the sides, feeling actually free for the first time in his life. He smiled while looking down at the city, and drew in a deep breath—

And fell into a coughing fit.

Once the tremors of his body had died down thanks to Lance’s soothing rubs onto Keith’s back, once all the crisp and frozen air had been evacuated from his lungs, Keith looked back at Lance with watery eyes and a warm smile. And when he leaned closer to Lance, he was met halfway by him with his soft lips against Keith’s.

When Keith’s fingers came up to brush Lance’s cheeks, the latter pulled back with a wince. “Sorry, sorry,” Lance said, a soft smile on his lips. “It’s just—Your fingers are really cold.”

“Oh.” Keith looked at his fingers and, indeed, saw that they were slowly becoming blue at the tips. “Back to the hotel?” he said.

“Yeah,” Lance replied, then leaned in to kiss him again before pulling away and leading the way back to the elevator inside.

On the way down, when Keith was pressed up against Lance’s side to make more space for the other people, he felt warm and good and happy.

“Thank you,” he whispered loud enough for Lance alone to hear.

The meaning of those two words was infinite.

**Author's Note:**

> keith is the reckless and stubborn one, we all agree with that and it's canon. however, i feel like his recklessness would have some limits, and his stubbornness would drive him to push past those limits. this would create an unending circle or push and pull, making him go through important experiences /before/ being able to do crazy shit, over and over again.
> 
> also people might say "mm but u don't get over ur fears just like that" and i feel you. some people might, and some people might not. however, i have an incredible fear of heights, and i kinda know that if the right person was with me, i'd be able to overcome it.
> 
> happy beginning of 2017, everyone! may you get over some of your deepest fears this year. and if that doesn't happen, may you have a wonderful year!
> 
> im on tumblr @ kuroosthighz & clara-wrote-once


End file.
